Easter breads

As I write this it’s Good Friday morning and my batch of hot cross bun dough is rising. Whilst I wait for it to do that I’ve been doing some research into other spiced or sweet breads that are Easter weekend food traditions across the world.

This morning I’ve been reading about dutch paas brood which is a bread stuffed with marzipan, raisins and candied peel. Slovenia has kruhki sweet buns with cardamon, raisins and nuts. There’s a Portuguese sweet bread that’s got hard-boiled eggs braided into it. And in Italy they have gubana filled with chocolate, raisins, nuts and alcohol. (That’s what’s in the pic below so I know what I’m aiming at if I make it.)

Not to forget the paska I’ve written about before. A delicious, rich, brioche-type Eastern European bread whose recipe is traditionally passed down within families and takes forever to make. Worth it though.

I’m going to try to make at least one of those other Easter breads before the weekend is out. But in the meantime there are hot cross buns to finish.